Can we trust what we see online these days?

A video circulating online claims to show Pope Leo XIV praising Islam as "a religion of peace we can learn from." There’s just one problem—it’s entirely fabricated. Using advanced artificial intelligence tools, someone manufactured the clip to make it appear the pontiff uttered those exact words. While the real Pope Leo XIV has advocated for interfaith harmony, he has never delivered that specific statement. A review of his official speeches confirms the discrepancy.

How Did This Fake Go Viral?

The deceptive video spread rapidly on platforms like X and Facebook in May 2026, racking up thousands of views before fact-checkers intervened. A subtle but telling clue lurked in the details: the phrase "Create your own with Grok" appeared at the bottom of the clip, alluding to Grok Imagine, an AI tool used to generate the content. The account behind the post, "Wake Up America," has a history of sharing AI-crafted misinformation, though this wasn’t its first attempt at fabricating a high-profile quote.

Red Flags and Fact-Checking

Experts quickly spotted inconsistencies. The synthetic voice in the video didn’t match recordings of the real pope’s—pitch and tone were off. If this had been an authentic statement, major news outlets would have covered it immediately. A reverse search of the video yielded no matches in reputable sources, and a search combining the quote with the pope’s name turned up no credible results.

The Broader Threat of AI Misinformation

This incident underscores the growing challenge of deepfakes in spreading disinformation. With tools like Grok Imagine making it easier than ever to fabricate convincing but false content, the line between reality and fabrication blurs further. As AI tools become more accessible, vigilance is critical in verifying sources—especially when they involve figures of global influence.